An artistic mind can find beauty anywhere - but what about HIV and swine flu? In a series titled "Glass Microbiology," UK conceptual artist Luke Jerram does just that with his startlingly beautiful yet frightening glass sculptures of the world's most deadly viruses and bacteria. Created to bring attention to the global impact of these pathogens, the glass art has also sparked interesting cognitive dissonance in viewers as they are both attracted to and repulsed by the gorgeous virus sculptures.

Frustrated by the constant, inaccurate representations of viruses in textbooks and the media, Jerram was inspired to create his transparent and colorless Glass Microbiology series in 2004. To recreate each virus in glass as accurately as possible, he consulted with virologists from the University of Bristol. Jerram also collaborated with professional glassblowers such as Kim George, for help with the intricate and delicate pieces. Each handmade viral sculpture measures roughly one million times larger than the pathogen it represents.

In addition to bringing global attention to the viruses in a new light, Glass Microbiology has also touched the lives of those suffering from disease. Some have written to Jerram to say that gaining an artistic appreciation of the viruses has helped them confront their disease in a new way. His work has been added to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection and will be on tour in the U.S. for the spring.

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2 Comments

I, like TruScientist take issue with the title. Some of these viruses/bacteria and the T4 are not viruses, and certianly not representative of the world’s most deadly viruses. But I adore adore the sculptures, and wish there was one for C. difficult…my complete and utter nemesis in my career.

TruScientistApril 2, 2014 at 1:09 pm

These are beautiful pieces of art. A great deal of research, time, and effort has gone into each and every one of these amazing glass sculptures. My issue is with the title of the piece, …”world’s most deadly viruses…” Not all of these sculptures represents a virus, as clearly there are bacteria represented as well. Also, not all of the sculptures represent deadly viruses, bacteriophages have been used as natural antibiotics for quite some time as they are natural killers of specific bacteria as well as being the most abundant “living” things on the planet (I put “living” in quotes, because virus are not technically alive as they cannot reproduce on their own). Again, my comment is more about the title of the article, and how I wish the author (or editor, whomever penned the title) would have done just a bit more research so as not to sound ignorant and take away from the absolute beauty of nature and the pieces.